Mosque, funeral bombings kill 51 in Iraq

Iraqis gather at the scene of a bomb attack in Baqouba, northeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, May 17, 2013. A bomb killed dozens of people at a Sunni mosque in central Iraq, hitting worshippers as they were emerging from Friday prayers, security officials said. The attack in Baqouba comes after two days of attacks, many in Shiite districts, left tens of people dead. Attacks against Sunni mosques have also been on the rise recently, raising fears that the country is slipping into a new round of sec
— AP

Iraqis gather at the scene of a bomb attack in Baqouba, northeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, May 17, 2013. A bomb killed dozens of people at a Sunni mosque in central Iraq, hitting worshippers as they were emerging from Friday prayers, security officials said. The attack in Baqouba comes after two days of attacks, many in Shiite districts, left tens of people dead. Attacks against Sunni mosques have also been on the rise recently, raising fears that the country is slipping into a new round of sec
/ AP

Family members of Mohammed Aboud, chant slogans against the Sunni-dominated Free Syrian Army rebel group and the al-Qaida-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra during his funeral in Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, May 17, 2013. Hundreds of Iraqis in Basra, Iraq have attended the funeral of two Shiite fighters killed in Syria. Relatives of Aboud say he was killed by a sniper fire near the shrine of Sayida Zeinab outside the capital of Damascu— AP

Family members of Mohammed Aboud, chant slogans against the Sunni-dominated Free Syrian Army rebel group and the al-Qaida-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra during his funeral in Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, May 17, 2013. Hundreds of Iraqis in Basra, Iraq have attended the funeral of two Shiite fighters killed in Syria. Relatives of Aboud say he was killed by a sniper fire near the shrine of Sayida Zeinab outside the capital of Damascu
/ AP

Family members of Mohammed Aboud chant slogans against the Sunni-dominated Free Syrian Army rebel group and the al-Qaida-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra during his funeral in Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, May 17, 2013. Hundreds of Iraqis in Basra, Iraq have attended the funeral of two Shiite fighters killed in Syria. Relatives of Aboud say he was killed by a sniper fire near the shrine of Sayida Zeinab outside the capital of Damascus— AP

Family members of Mohammed Aboud chant slogans against the Sunni-dominated Free Syrian Army rebel group and the al-Qaida-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra during his funeral in Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, May 17, 2013. Hundreds of Iraqis in Basra, Iraq have attended the funeral of two Shiite fighters killed in Syria. Relatives of Aboud say he was killed by a sniper fire near the shrine of Sayida Zeinab outside the capital of Damascus
/ AP

Family members of Mohammed Aboud, chant slogans against the Sunni-dominated Free Syrian Army rebel group and the al-Qaida-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra during his funeral in Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, May 17, 2013. Hundreds of Iraqis in Basra, have attended the funeral of two Shiite fighters killed in Syria. Relatives of Aboud say he was killed by a sniper fire near the shrine of Sayida Zeinab outside the capital of Damascus fiv— AP

Family members of Mohammed Aboud, chant slogans against the Sunni-dominated Free Syrian Army rebel group and the al-Qaida-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra during his funeral in Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, May 17, 2013. Hundreds of Iraqis in Basra, have attended the funeral of two Shiite fighters killed in Syria. Relatives of Aboud say he was killed by a sniper fire near the shrine of Sayida Zeinab outside the capital of Damascus fiv
/ AP

The dead body of a thwarted suicide bomber lies outside of the Mustafa mosque after being killed by security forces in Kirkuk, 180 miles (290 kilometers) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, May 17, 2013. Elsewhere, a bomb killed dozens of people at a Sunni mosque in central Iraq, hitting worshippers as they were emerging from Friday prayers, security officials said. The attack in Baqouba comes after two days of attacks, many in Shiite districts, left tens of people dead. Attacks against Sunni mosque— AP

The dead body of a thwarted suicide bomber lies outside of the Mustafa mosque after being killed by security forces in Kirkuk, 180 miles (290 kilometers) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, May 17, 2013. Elsewhere, a bomb killed dozens of people at a Sunni mosque in central Iraq, hitting worshippers as they were emerging from Friday prayers, security officials said. The attack in Baqouba comes after two days of attacks, many in Shiite districts, left tens of people dead. Attacks against Sunni mosque
/ AP

BAGHDAD 
Bombs struck Sunni areas throughout Iraq Friday, killing at least 51 people in the deadliest day in more than a month, officials said as a spike in violence has raised fears the country could be on the path to a new round of sectarian bloodshed.

The attacks to the north, south and west of Baghdad pushed the three-day Iraqi death toll to more than 100 people, including Shiites at bus stops and outdoor markets in scenes reminiscent of the retaliatory attacks between the Islamic sects that pushed the country to the brink of civil war in 2006-2007.

Tensions have been intensifying since Sunnis began protesting what they say is mistreatment at the hands of the Shiite-led government, including random detentions and neglect. The protests, which began in December, have largely been peaceful, but the number of attacks rose sharply after a deadly security crackdown on a Sunni protest camp in the country's north on April 23.

Majority Shiites control the levers of power in post-Saddam Hussein Iraq. Wishing to rebuild the nation rather than revert to open warfare, they have largely restrained their militias over the past five years or so as Sunni extremist groups such as al-Qaida have targeted them with occasional large-scale attacks. An increase attacks against Sunni mosques has fed concerns about a return to retaliatory warfare.

The deadliest blast on Friday struck worshippers as they were leaving the main Sunni mosque in Baqouba, a former Sunni insurgent stronghold 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad. Another explosion went off shortly afterward as people gathered to help the wounded, leaving at least 41 dead and 56 wounded, according to police and hospital officials. Bloodied bodies were strewn across the road outside the mosque.

Grocery store owner Hassan Alwan was among the worshippers who attended the Friday prayer in the al-Sariya mosque. He said he was getting ready to leave after Friday prayers when he heard the explosion, followed a few minutes later by another.

"We rushed into the street and saw people who were killed and wounded, and other worshippers asking for help," he said. "I do not where the country is headed amid these attacks against both Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq."

Baqouba was the site of some of the fiercest fighting between U.S. forces and al-Qaida in Iraq and other Sunni insurgents during the war.

Later Friday, a roadside bomb exploded during a Sunni funeral procession in Madain, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Baghdad, killing eight mourners and wounding 11, police said. Two medical officials confirmed the casualties.

Another explosion struck a cafe in Fallujah, 65 kilometers (40 miles) west of Baghdad, killing two people and wounding nine, according to police and hospital officials.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to brief reporters.

It was the deadliest day since April 15, when 55 people were killed in a series of attacks across Iraq.

The attacks on Sunnis came after two days of car bombs targeting Shiite areas in Baghdad and other attacks that left 21 people dead on Thursday and 33 on Wednesday.